Jeff Costello | Winger | #34

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Jeff Costello has agreed to a one-year, AHL contract with the Syracuse Crunch.

He recently completed a four-year career at the University of Notre Dame, where he posted 13 goals, 22 points and 73 penalty minutes in 40 games last year. Costello was acquired by Tampa Bay on June 27 as part of a trade with the Vancouver Canucks for Jason Garrison. Tue, Aug 26, 2014 10:26:00 AM

Jeff Costello is open to attending Tampa Bay's training camp if he can't find a deal elsewhere.

The free agent forward has reportedly received some interest from a few teams. Costello was acquired from Vancouver as part of the trade that sent Jason Garrison to Tampa Bay. Wed, Aug 20, 2014 12:42:00 PM

Depth Charts

Steven Stamkos is "doing great" and there have been "no issues" in his recovery over the summer from his surgically-repaired knee, according to agent Mark Guy.

Stamkos was playing great last year before he suffered a torn lateral meniscus. There are some concerns of lingering issues even though he is expected to be ready for training camp. Stamkos could be worth the risk though, especially when you consider that he may be good for at least 60-70 points in 2017-18.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed Tyler Johnson to a seven-year, $35 million contract extension.

Johnson was a restricted free agent and had filed for arbitration. This contract offers him a pay bump from his completed three-year, $10 million deal, but his new $5 million annual cap hit will be a steal, bust, or anything in between. That's because Johnson has had a career of extremes thus far. He had a 50-point rookie season to place third in Calder Trophy voting and followed that up with a 72-point sophomore campaign. However, he struggled in 2015-16 14 goals and 38 points in 69 games and while he bounced back last season with 44 points in 66 contests, it was still considerably shy of his peak. If he can stay healthy and bounce back to his 2014-15 levels then this contract will look great for Tampa Bay, but of course that's far from certain and the Lightning are consequently taking a significant risk given the length of this deal.

Ondrej Palat believes that Tampa Bay's rough 2016-17 campaign will serve as a lesson for the team.

Tampa Bay failed to make the playoffs after reaching the Eastern Conference Final in 2016 and Stanley Cup Final in 2015. "It was an experience for us last year because we came from two good (playoff) runs and we thought we were going to make the playoffs just like that, and it didn't happen," Palat said. "In the NHL we have to play good from the beginning of the season, and we have to be good all season long." Part of the Lightning's shortcomings last season can be pinned on the fact that Steven Stamkos was unavailable for the vast majority of the season, but certainly the Lightning would like to be a team that overcomes even high levels of adversity. Palat is armed with a five-year, $26.5 million contract that he signed this summer.

Don't be surprised if the Lightning move Alex Killorn this off-season.

Bolts' GM Steve Yzerman is under a salary cap crunch and has to re-sign core players Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat and Jonathan Drouin. Killorn, although a nice complimentary player, is going into the second year of a seven-year, $31.15 million contract, which may be a little excessive for a player of his worth. In order to free up some cap space to sign Johnson, Palat and Drouin, Yzerman may opt to move Killorn if possible. Keep an eye on this situation.

Vladislav Namestnikov might be available for the Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft.

He would be an intriguing player to pick up for the NHL's newest franchise. "It will depend on many factors," Namestnikov told Sport-express.ru. "The NHL expansion draft is in two months. No one knows what might happen. Many players are to be re-signed. So it'll be difficult to make predictions." He struggled in 2016-17 with 10 goals and 28 points in 74 games, but he is a player who can play up and down the lineup.

Look for Chris Kunitz to get a chance to play a prominent role with the Lightning next season.

He could line up as a winger on one of the Bolts' top two lines which would mean he would flank either Steven Stamkos or Tyler Johnson. Even if Kunitz plays on Tampa's third unit, he will get plenty of power-play ice time making him late-round draft worthy.

The deal is one-way during the first season and two-way in the second. Conacher will earn $650,000 per season at the NHL level. He had one goal and three assists in 11 games with the Lightning last year. Conacher also amassed 60 points in 56 matches with Syracuse of the AHL.

Kucherov's agent, Dan Milstein, said that his client isn't concerned with his next contract or with any lingering issues from harsh comments he had for some teammates at the end of the 2016-17 season. Kucherov spoke with Tampa Bay GM Steve Yzerman about his criticisms and feels they are on the same page, according to Milstein. "He hopes to have a redo this year, and that everyone stays healthy," said Kucherov's agent. "He feels this is the year for them to win the Cup. He's very excited." Milstein also thinks that it's too early to talk about the star winger's next contract. Kucherov still has two seasons remaining on his deal and he wants to stay with the team long-term.

Brayden Point will be a versatile option for the Lightning in 2017-18.

Point could center the third line or play as a winger on one of Tampa Bay's top-two combinations. He played well as the top center on the team last season after Steven Stamkos and Tyler Johnson were injured. His success in the middle may keep him in that position for the start of the year, but it wouldn't be surprising if that changed during the season. Coach Jon Cooper may try Point on a line with Stamkos, which would give him a significant boost after he had a productive rookie campaign.

Ryan Callahan told reporters Saturday that he is feeling great and that his hip issues are behind him.

In fact, Callahan was very optimistic about his readiness level for next season. "I feel great, no limitations at all," Callahan said. "I think this is going to be the hungriest I've ever been". That said, Callahan remains an injury risk. He is also likely destined for third-line duty which also supresses his fantasy value.

Condra played the last couple of games with the Lightning but is still searching for his first NHL points of the season through 13 games. Meanwhile, he has seven goals on 26 points in 29 games for the Crunch this season.

The first year of the contract is one-way, while the second year is a two-way. The deal also has an annual average value of $650,000. Dumont accounted for four points in 39 games with the Lightning last season. He also had five goals and five helpers in 20 outings with the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL.

Hedman was often overshadowed by defensemen Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson, who are the other two nominees, but he was terrific in his own right. Hedman finished the 2016-17 season with 16 goals and 72 points in 79 games this season. "I'm being put in situations to be successful," Hedman said after the season. "I've obviously felt more comfortable on the power play. I've felt more comfortable playing that offensive role. We had to be able to produce, and that's been kind of what I expect of myself, to be one of the leaders, especially when we were in a big hole." Hedman won't win the Norris Trophy, but there's no denying how good he was this season.

Jake Dotchin and the Tampa Bay Lightning are reportedly closing in on a two-year contract.

Dotchin is a restricted free agent after completing his entry-level contract. The potential financial terms of his next contract aren't known except to say that it will be a one-way deal. Dotchin made his NHL debut on Jan. 21 and went on to record 11 points and a plus-10 rating in 35 games with Tampa Bay.

Dan Girardi has signed with Tampa for two years and six million dollars.

The Bolts were looking for a stabilizing presence on their blueline and now they have one. Girardi will likely receive top-four minutes and be paired with either Victor Hedman or Anton Stralman. That said, he won’t get much power-play ice time and with only 15 points in 63 games with the Rangers last season he doesn’t profile as much of a fantasy asset.

Andrej Sustr could end up being a trade candidate going into the season.

Tampa Bay might have as many as eight NHL-ready defensemen if Mikhail Sergachev manages to claim a roster spot out of training camp. GM Steve Yzerman is open to the possibility of carrying eight rearguards, but it's not an ideal situation.

Slater Koekkoek would have to clear waivers to be sent down to the AHL this year.

There's a good chance he will start the season with the Lightning as a result. If for whatever reason, Koekkoek doesn't fit into the team's long-term plans then he could be traded. He agreed to a one-year contract with Tampa Bay last month and will try to prove he is ready for full-time NHL action this campaign.

Tampa Bay got their first look at Mikhail Sergachev when he took to the ice for development camp.

"He's big and he's thick," said AHL Syracuse coach Benoit Groulx. "You can tell he's going to be an outstanding player, there's no doubt about it. He's mobile, passes the puck hard, shoots the puck. I was very impressed with him." Sergachev is excited to play for the Lightning and he could be on the roster as early as next season. However, he thinks he still has to get faster and stronger based on the four games he played for Montreal last season. Sergachev was obtained in the trade that sent Jonathan Drouin to the Canadiens and he has a bright future ahead of him.

Vasilevskiy has two shutouts and a .953 save percentage at the tournament so far. He will be the starter for the Lightning next season barring an injury. He was 23-17-7 this season with a 2.61 GAA and a .917 save percentage. Expect more from the 22-year-old netminder in 2017-18 with a healthier Lightning lineup.

Peter Budaj has reportedly inked a two-year, $2.05 million extension with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Budaj started the 2016-17 campaign in the minors, but he soon found himself as the Kings' starting goaltender after the Kings lost Jonathan Quick. Quick missed most of the season, but Los Angeles traded Budaj to Tampa Bay on Feb. 26. Between the two teams, Budaj posted a 2.18 GAA and .915 save percentage in 60 contests. The Lightning will be looking at him as a backup, but given that Andrei Vasilevskiy is still fairly young, Budaj might end up with a fair amount of playing time in that role.